


Safe Place to Land

by Requiem



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Corvo has a lot of Opinions okay, Corvo is having None of That though so I'm not going to tag it, F/M, Humor, slightly more modern au in the same setting I guess, some one-sided Corvo/Outsider if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-29 00:17:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8468524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Requiem/pseuds/Requiem
Summary: Corvo finally has everything he's ever wanted, so it's hardly surprising when it's all taken from him in one afternoon; luck has never been on his side. But who needs luck when instead you could have an ambiguously human ally for whom everything seems to go right?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this prompt](http://dishonored-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/446.html?thread=487358#cmt487358) on the kinkmeme, but ultimately has very little to do with it. Many thanks to the prompter though, without you this story would never have existed.

Corvo is nineteen and Jessamine is beautiful, determined, clever, and _unattainable_. Or so they say. The staff gossip in the break room about the supposedly countless numbers of propositions she's contemptuously turned down, both business and romantic, and Corvo is inclined to believe them. He's had to escort out the occasional visitor who's overstayed their welcome, and not even received a glance or nod in thanks.

It's inappropriate, he knows, to have feelings for his employer's daughter – even though these days with Lord Kaldwin's failing health Jessamine is the one running the household – but he can't seem to tear himself away from the brilliant aura that she seems to exude. Still, he knows how to be professional, so he tries his best to distance himself from his feelings and continues to do his job.

The years go by and the lord of the house leaves his room less and less, and physicians and healers of all sorts are a regular sight in the house. Jessamine is at her father's bedside when she's not managing the house or business, and the post outside the door becomes Corvo's as he finds himself there day after day, standing watch over a dying man he can't protect. Jessamine still won't look twice at him, won't give him more than a curt nod in acknowledgement – or thanks, but he's trying not to get his hopes up – when she enters or emerges from the room, but her light in his life burns as bright as ever.

* * *

Lord Kaldwin passes one evening in the autumn with no fanfare. Jessamine merely comes to the door and asks Corvo to fetch a doctor. When he returns, she's sitting on the bed, holding her father's hand. She stands up when they enter, looks Corvo in the eyes, and says, "thank you for watching over him, Corvo. You may go." He leaves with his heart pounding in his chest.

From then on, where Jessamine goes Corvo does too. The other guards have plenty to say about it behind his back, but since he doesn't live in the barracks any longer – he takes his meals with Jessamine, sleeps in a small room with a clear line of sight to her door, and spends just about every other waking hour with her - he pays them no mind. Jessamine seems to welcome his company too, Corvo thinks, making small talk in the quiet times between the meetings she seems to be forever attending.

Nearly every whale oil refinery since whaling came to Dunwall has had the Kaldwin name attached to it and only now does Corvo realise the enormity of the operation. There are meetings with rich and powerful men like Hiram Burrows and Thaddeus Campbell, social gatherings with the influential Boyle sisters, and pages and pages of record-keeping and letter-writing. Corvo's not a very good reader, having grown up fighting on the streets of Serkonos, so the stacks of documents make his head spin a little, which in turn makes Jessamine laugh when she sees whatever expression is on his face.

They settle into what Corvo wants to tentatively call a friendship. He still keeps watch for any potential danger to Jessamine because that's what he's paid to do, but it's not until one night when he hears a commotion coming from Jessamine's room and sprints over to find her struggling with an unknown figure over possession of a knife that he comes to understand how much he's really needed. His sudden presence distracts them both for a moment and Corvo rushes in, pinning the intruder to the floor. They grab the knife that's fallen on the floor and before he's fully aware of what he's doing, Corvo's instincts kick in, and he wrestles the knife from the intruder and plunges it into their chest. The would-be assassin is a man, Gristolian, likely hired off the streets for a few measly coins. He stares up at Corvo in shock, then Corvo pulls out the knife and the man chokes once on his own blood before going still.

Jessamine is staring at them, at Corvo, and Corvo is suddenly self-conscious of the fact that he's only wearing the trousers he wore to bed and his bare chest is covered in splatters of blood. He stares back, unsure of what to do, until Jessamine blinks and seems to come back to herself.

"Thank you, Corvo," she says softly, and oh, how he loves listening to her say those words. He'd die to keep her safe, and he's not sure if she knows.

"Sorry I couldn't be here sooner," he says for the sake of not just staring mutely at her. The only way he could have been here sooner was if he'd been in the room. Where were the floor guards? Someone should have raised an alarm.

Corvo tears his gaze away from Jessamine and down to the dead man on the floor.

"I'll get someone in here to clean this up," he says. "You should sleep somewhere else tonight; it's not safe for you to be here."

Jessamine wraps her arms around herself, suddenly looking very small. "Who would do such a thing?"

"We'll find out in the morning." Corvo gets to his feet and gestures towards the door. "Please, my lady. Let's go."

Jessamine insists on sleeping in Corvo's room that night, claiming that having him close on hand will soothe her nerves. She curls up in his bed under the soft blankets from her room, and Corvo sleeps in front of the door, pistol in one hand.

Something changes between them after that. Corvo gets placed in charge of Jessamine's personal security, and ensures that there are at least two guards besides himself watching her at all times. Jessamine chooses her outings more carefully, and always asks for Corvo's opinion before accepting invitations to meetings and gatherings. Corvo tries and fails to maintain his distance, his control gradually but surely slipping until one day, he's the one who ends up in Jessamine's bed.

It starts out innocently enough: he's been so concerned about seeing to Jessamine's safety that he's been forgetting to eat and sleep, and his fatigue just happens to catch up to him one afternoon while he and Jessamine are discussing a potential trip to some of the refineries. Corvo gets up to fetch a folder from the shelf and suddenly his world spins and he's falling to the floor, limbs too heavy to catch himself.

He's only out for a moment, and wakes to find Jessamine leaning over him, frowning. Corvo tries to make a weak excuse but Jessamine sees right through him and more or less orders him into her bed to sleep. Corvo agrees to lie down on the condition that he only rests his eyes for a few minutes.

When he wakes up, it's several hours later and the sun is setting, Jessamine's hair catching the light as she sits at her table, reading. She looks up and smiles when she sees that Corvo is awake.

"You're beautiful," Corvo murmurs without thinking. He's so tired he's not even sure if he's properly awake, and to his bleary mind it seems like an appropriate thing to say. It's the truth, at any rate.

Jessamine tilts her head. Her smile has softened, but it's still there. "Do you really think so?" she asks.

"I think I love you," Corvo's traitorous mouth says. His eyelids begin to close, but he forces them open. He doesn't want to lose this sight just yet.

Jessamine looks at him a little longer. "I'm going to have dinner brought up," she says. "Are you hungry?"

Corvo thinks he hums in response but now that his body's been reminded of what sleep is it doesn't want to do anything else, and his eyes close of their own accord.

There's a warm body next to Corvo and this bed is not his own. These are the two things Corvo is acutely aware of. He opens his eyes and turns towards the source of the warmth and his two questions are answered immediately. Jessamine is asleep next to him and it's dark outside, which makes Corvo contemplate sneaking back to his bed. It wouldn't do for them to be found like that in the morning.

"Don't go," Jessamine says just as Corvo rolls off the bed.

Corvo stops in a sitting position at the edge of the bed.

"Did you mean it?" Jessamine asks. "When you said you loved me." She shifts on the bed, but Corvo has his back to her and can't tell what she's doing.

Corvo picks at the sheets with one hand. "I don't think I really know what love is," he says after a long pause, "but if I could love anyone, I think it would be you."

Jessamine moves across the bed so she's sitting directly behind Corvo. "Love is... caring about someone. Wanting them to be happy. Safe. Wanting to be around them. Wanting to give them the best of life."

Corvo turns to face her. "Then I love you."

"Why, Corvo, I think I love you too."

They kiss, softly, gently, and Corvo thinks yes, this is what he wants, what he's always wanted. He takes Jessamine's hands in his and revels in being allowed to, even if for just a fleeting moment under the cover of darkness. It's Jessamine who moves things along – Corvo would be content to kiss and hold her until the sun came up if given the opportunity – and undoes the top buttons of Corvo's shirt before taking off her own. Corvo can take a hint, and he strips down as quickly as possible so he can go back to caressing her soft skin.

They make love quietly and slowly, getting to know each other's bodies under the armour they wear to get through each day. Afterwards they say nothing, just go back to sleep holding each other even though they know come morning they'll have to revert to their old roles again.

They continue to have late night meetings that sometimes turn into more, and at other times just culminate in one or both of them falling asleep at the table. The most common source of their frustrations lately is Hiram Burrows, who has been making himself a nuisance, kicking up a fuss about deliveries from his slaughterhouses to the Kaldwin refineries.

"I feel like he and that Campbell are planning something," Jessamine says as they sit on her bed, Corvo combing through her hair with his fingers. "Tell me I'm being paranoid and that there's nothing to worry about."

"There's nothing for you to worry about," Corvo says dutifully, pressing a kiss to the side of Jessamine's forehead. And technically, it's true; Jessamine's safety is his responsibility.

He looks into it, because Jessamine's gut feelings have not led them astray yet, but can't find anything beyond what might be considered a socially unacceptable amount of meetings between the two. It's not illegal though, so he files that line of investigation away for another day.

* * *

Emily Kaldwin is born on a windy day in spring. Jessamine and Corvo have not formally announced their relationship even though the whole household at least suspects it, so he's left standing watch in the corridor while the servants rush by with linens and water. Just past midday, a newborn's cry cuts through the howling outside, and alone in the corridor, Corvo smiles to himself.

He doesn't get the chance to meet her until later that night when everyone else has gone to bed and Jessamine calls him into her room. She's sitting up in her bed, holding a small bundle in her arms.

"This is Emily," she says. "Come and hold your daughter."

Corvo carefully takes the bundle into his arms and gazes down at Emily's peacefully sleeping face. She's so small and so beautiful, and he loves her. He'll protect her with his life.

* * *

Emily grows up from a baby to a toddler to a child who calls him Corvo and draws him pictures labelled Daddy. Her room is right next to Jessamine's with a door between the two and security screens in the windows and balcony doors. Corvo sleeps across the hall from them with his door open and a weapon in one hand, and he knows he can be out of bed and in one of their rooms in under ten seconds. One of their rooms.

"She's eight, Corvo," Jessamine says, hands on her hips and a determined set to her mouth that's won many an argument. "She needs her own space and I need mine. If it worries you so much, teach her some self defence."

That, Corvo can live with.

He takes Emily down to the barracks that week so that she can watch some of the younger recruits training and pick something to learn. She quickly develops an affinity for hand-to-hand combat, and delights in practicing on Corvo at every inopportune moment she can get. He learns to never drop his guard while coming out of the shower, exhausted, dripping wet, and wearing only a towel. Jessamine tries very hard not to laugh as she massages his aching back while Emily hovers anxiously in the background, sorry for now but sure to try something else tomorrow.

Emily is ten now, and starting to take an interest in what her mother does. She follows Jessamine everywhere, exactly one step behind her left elbow, Corvo at Jessamine's right. Emily sits in on meetings, quietly observing, and always has a wealth of questions to ask afterwards.

"Mother, why does Lord Burrows keep asking you about 'the future of Kaldwin Refineries'?" She does her best impersonation of Burrows' haughty accent and Corvo bites down on his bottom lip to keep from smiling. "He should mind his own business."

"He and my father knew each other for a long time so he's interested in what we're doing," Jessamine answers diplomatically even though Corvo knows her dislike for the man has only been growing over the years.

"Why is he such good friends with Overseer Campbell?"

"Sometimes you'll find that you can make friends with the unlikeliest of people."

"And why does Overseer Campbell need an army if he's a priest?"

Jessamine has some strong feelings on that topic. They're going to be here all day.

* * *

Burrows continues to be pushy about getting more involved with Kaldwin Refineries, to the point where Jessamine puts her foot down and declares a week-long leave of absence to be spent at the Kaldwin country estates.

"I just need some quiet time to think this over and the moment I get back we will deal with it," she says to Corvo, slamming a book onto the pile she's taking with her.

He jumps a little.

"Sorry," Jessamine says, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. "He's just such an infuriating man."

Corvo checks that there's no one in the hallway then closes the door and goes over to Jessamine, wrapping his arms around her.

"We can teach Emily how to ride," he says, remembering the last time he'd been at the country estates for training.

Jessamine chuckles, leaning against Corvo. "Or her tutors can teach her and we can spend our time doing other things," she whispers into his ear.

"Don't tempt me."

It's the height of summer and the week passes by all too quickly in a haze of lazy afternoons in the sun and evenings spent around a crackling fire. Emily thrives in the acres of open field that make up the estates, and she all but begs to not return to the city.

"We'll be back, I promise," Jessamine says, taking Emily's hand in hers. "I just have to take care of some things first."

The three of them are driving back down a quiet country road, windows down and enjoying the afternoon air, not a car in sight, until they turn the corner. Later, Corvo will wonder how their escort managed to fall so far behind, and he'll recall hearing an engine roar to life just before they make the turn, but in that moment everything happens so fast he doesn't have time to react before something large slams into them from the passenger side.

"Corvo!" he thinks he hears Jessamine shout before his head hits the window and everything goes dark.

He regains consciousness not too long after, his head now resting on broken glass and the rest of his body twisted at an awkward angle. They've flipped onto the side, Corvo dimly realises. He can hear muted voices outside the car, then a door opens, but his head's throbbing and his hearing's fuzzy so he can't tell if it's this car or another, then a rustle of fabric, then shouting. Someone far away is fighting. Farther away, an engine starts up and a car drives off. Unconsciousness claims Corvo once more.

* * *

 "Corvo, wake up," someone says.

"Emily?" Corvo asks groggily even as he realises the voice isn't nearly high pitched enough.

"Callista," the voice corrects him gently. "Wake up, Corvo."

Corvo cracks his eyes open and feels disappointed. "I don't know you," he says. His throat is dry and it hurts to speak.

Callista seems to know this and helps him sit up so he can drink some water. He doesn't know where he is either, and says as much.

"You're safe. You're at the Hound Pits Pub."

Safe from what, he wants to ask, but then he remembers the car crash. Well that explains the pain he can feel in just about every part of his body.

"Jessamine?" he asks tentatively. "Emily?"

Corvo can tell from the soft, apologetic look on Callista's face that it's going to be bad news, but before she can say anything, a broad-shouldered man with military bearing strides into the room.

"Corvo, you're awake! Good, just in time."

"This is Admiral Havelock," Callista says before Corvo can ask. "I'll leave you two to talk."

Corvo wants to ask her to stay, not wanting to be alone with this man, but he's too overwhelmed by the rapidly occurring events to get a word out in time.

"I'm sure you're eager to get out there and get your revenge, but I need to ask you a favour first," Havelock says. He's pacing at the foot of Corvo's bed and it's making Corvo nervous.

"What?" he asks blankly. Revenge?

Havelock pauses. "Assassins, Corvo. They ran your car off the road which killed Lady Kaldwin instantly, then they took young Emily and would have taken you too if we hadn't been there. You don't remember?"

"No, I just remember something hitting us..." Corvo's feeling dazed and wonders how he'll ever get over the thought of Jessamine being dead, but something pulls him up short. "Emily's alive? They took her? Where?" The haze in his mind clears up almost immediately, and he clings to the hope that he hasn't completely failed in his duty to protect the two closest to him.

"I've got people tracking her down right now. We'll find her soon enough, don't you worry. But until then, I need your help to retrieve one of my men." Havelock resumes his pacing. "The overseers have him."

"Why me?" Corvo asks. He wants nothing to do with the overseers; they're eerie enough when they keep to themselves.

Havelock looks like he's about to start explain, but then he cuts himself off without speaking. "I won't bother you with the specifics just yet; you have only just woken up. I'll send for Doctor Joplin, and when you're feeling better you can come find me."

Havelock leaves without saying anything else and Corvo glares at his back as he goes. Corvo still has questions, and it would be nice if someone could answer them.

He takes the moment he's alone in the room to collect his thoughts. As far as he can tell, there are three pressing issues: one, he doesn't know where he is or who he's with, but these people seem to be interested in helping him so it can't be all that bad; two, someone's kidnapped Emily, which is not as bad as it could be, because it means she's still alive and Corvo can still save her; three, Jessamine is dead. That's a thought he files away for another day.

It's not long before another man comes into the room carrying a bag that he sets down on the table next to the bed.

"Doctor Joplin?" Corvo asks, just to make sure.

The man waves a dismissive hand. "Just Piero will do." With no warning, he pulls up Corvo's shirt and peels off a dressing that had been taped over Corvo's ribs. Piero tosses the bloody gauze onto the table then pokes at the wound with a finger, completely ignoring Corvo's pained yelp. "Well, it looks better than before," Piero mutters, seemingly to himself. "It's likely to heal well, barring complications, but then again isn't everything..." he trails off and suddenly looks up at Corvo. "How are you feeling?"

"Are you a real doctor?" Corvo asks suspiciously.

Piero pushes up his glasses. "A doctor? Yes. But a physician? ...No."

"Right, well then. I think I can handle this myself." Corvo looks pointedly at Piero.

"Oh good!" Piero looks relieved. "I'll be in my workshop if you have need of me." He beats a hasty retreat, leaving behind the bag of medical supplies.

Corvo carefully takes his shirt off with one hand, now acutely aware of the burning pain on the left side of his chest. There's a jagged cut about a hand's width long over his ribs, and his entire left side is magnificently bruised in just about every colour a bruise can be. Corvo applies a salve on the cut, covers it with a new dressing, and helps himself to a few painkillers from a dubiously-labelled bottle. He slips the bottle into his pocket in case he has to interrogate Piero about its contents later.

Corvo puts his shirt back on and pulls on the socks and boots that have been left next to the door. There's nothing else of note in the room, just a few dusty chairs and broken cupboards. Outside the room is an empty hallway with stairs leading down to a floor with bricked-off doorways. The floor below that is lived in; Corvo can tell because he's not kicking up dust with every step he takes. Oh, and there's a young woman sweeping the hallway who jumps to attention when she sees him and mutters "Lord Corvo," ducking her head and scurrying away before Corvo can correct her.

A woman in a servant's uniform appears in the doorway with a sigh. "That's Cecelia," she says. "She's a little shy."

"That's fine," Corvo says.

"Lydia Brooklaine. Why don't you go clean up then come down to the pub and eat something." Lydia jerks a thumb over her shoulder.

There's a mirror directly in front of the door to the bathroom and the first thing Corvo thinks is wow, he looks terrible. There are dark circles under his eyes, a splatter of small scars on the left side of his face where his head had gone through the car window, and his hair is in desperate need of a good wash.

The bathroom has a combined shower and tub, but as much as Corvo would love a long, hot shower or soak, he has to be quick and careful to not get his dressing wet. Still, he feels much better after his quick cleanup – some of that can probably be attributed to the painkillers kicking in – ready to go downstairs and face whoever wants to talk to him.

It turns out to be just Havelock and another man conversing over drinks at the bar. They stop talking when Havelock catches sight of Corvo.

"This is Lord Treavor Pendleton." Havelock introduces the other man. "He's the one funding our group."

Pendleton tugs imperiously on his lapels. Corvo dislikes him already.

"You still haven't told me why I'm here. Or why you're here, for that matter," Corvo says.

"We are here to oppose Lord Burrows' rise to power," Pendleton says. His voice is like the aural equivalent of jellied eels. "He intends to monopolise the whale oil trade and through it, take control of Dunwall."

"Why now?" Corvo asks. "The Burrows have always owned the slaughterhouses and the Kaldwins the refineries. It's never been a problem before."

"Hiram Burrows is not satisfied with his lot in life," Havelock says. A cigarette dangles loosely between two of his fingers. "Neither is Thaddeus Campbell, who will provide him with the means to defend his new empire. Jessamine Kaldwin was in the way, so she had to go."

Corvo goes cold at the mention of Jessamine's name. "You're sure of this?"

"Burrows' plans date back to the days of Lord Euhorn. The two had an amiable relationship and Burrows was hoping to convince his ailing friend to sell Kaldwin Refineries to him. Lord Kaldwin nearly went through with it too, but then his daughter stepped up to take over the company and all talk of sales were off the table. Burrows was not a happy man. He tried to have Lady Jessamine assassinated early on–"

"I was there," Corvo says, thinking back to the night that started it all.

"You were, and Burrows has had his eye on you since then. He's laid in waiting for years planning how to take Lady Kaldwin down and you with her."

"But the assassins didn't kill me."

"No, Corvo, it's exactly as Burrows intended. His assassins were to make it look like you caused the crash on purpose then fled the scene of the crime with young Emily as your hostage. We stepped in before they could take you away, but everything else went according to Burrows' plan. You're wanted for the murder of Lady Jessamine Kaldwin."

Corvo loses all interest in what Havelock and Pendleton have to say after that, and they eventually stop trying to talk to him. Lydia slides Corvo a plate of food over the bar and places a fork in his hand. He eats without really tasting anything, drinks the cup of cider that appears in front of him. He lets the anger and grief boil inside him and bottles them up to use later. Then he gets up and goes to find Havelock.

"What do you want me to do."

* * *

 Havelock's first mission for him involves breaking into the Abbey of the Everyman and collecting dirt on Campbell. Everything the overseers are doing is just inside the law, but Havelock is convinced Campbell will have a dirty secret or two for them to exploit.

"We've already sent another one of our men but he got caught," Havelock says. "If you can find him and release him, he'll be of great help to us. He's an overseer by the name of Teague Martin."

"I'll see what I can do."

"And you might want to visit Piero in his workshop; I think he has something for you."

Something turns out to be a mask, made of metal and wire and looking like something out of a nightmare.

"The Admiral doesn't want to give away your identity so soon," Piero says. "There's an old set of guard's uniform to go with it too but you'll have to ask someone else for that."

"The uniform won't give it away?" Corvo asks drily.

"The Admiral doesn't seem to think so. Now hold still."

Piero holds the mask up to Corvo's face and adjusts something with a screwdriver. Corvo can feel the mask tightening and resists the urge to lean away. Once the mask is properly fitted though, it's not as bad as he thought. Peripheral vision is restricted, as expected, but the inside of the mask is padded well enough that it doesn't irritate his skin, and it's not so heavy as to make turning his head a chore.

"Oh, that's quite... effective," Piero says, taking a step back and admiring his handiwork. "One of my finest works, if I might say so."

Corvo turns to the drill Piero was using and sees the mask reflected back in the metal. Effective is not the word he'd use. Terrifying, probably. Corvo takes the mask off. "Are you sure I should be running around with this on? Surely even a piece of black cloth will do."

"It wasn't me who decided it, ask–"

"The Admiral, I know."

Corvo doesn't bother to ask Havelock, just busies himself getting ready. He can only take what he can carry on him, which means a pistol or two and maybe a knife. He doesn't really want to shoot anyone if he can help it, and he doesn't want to carry much anyway if he's going to be sneaking around. Piero eagerly offers up an assortment of gadgets of varying practicality, including spring-loaded razor mines that Corvo wants nowhere near his person. He does swap out a pistol for the folding crossbow and sleep darts, though.

A man named Samuel Beechworth takes Corvo to the overseer compound more formally known as the Abbey of the Everyman in the back of his delivery truck. Corvo crouches behind a wall of boxes with his pistol at the ready as the guards do a cursory sweep of the van. They don't bother to go all the way in; their loss, but Corvo makes a mental note to check if the guards at the Kaldwin estate are just as lax.

Samuel drives around to the back of the compound and slowly starts unloading the boxes, speaking louder than necessary as he lists the contents of each box for the overseer on duty. Corvo slips out of the truck unnoticed as the overseer sighs and resigns himself to a long night.

Corvo's first goal is to find Martin; if he's already found out where Campbell keeps his secrets, it'll save Corvo a lot of time. He doesn't even know if the Abbey has a prison since the overseers are supposed to be a peaceful religious group (that happen to carry weapons and have military training) but he's completely unsurprised to discover that they do. There's currently only one prisoner that Corvo assumes to be Martin, trading insults with the overseer standing guard who happens to have his back to Corvo. What a perfect opportunity to try out those sleep darts.

The overseer is down and out within seconds, which is impressive. Corvo makes a quick stop to check that the man is still in fact alive, then takes the keys off his belt and unlocks the door of Martin's cell.

"Did Havelock send you?" Martin asks. He eyes Corvo's mask warily but doesn't comment on it.

"Did you find anything?" Corvo asks instead of answering. He wants to be in and out of this place as quickly as possible, not stick around to make idle small talk.

"There's a book in his desk drawer that'll work nicely if you can get to it. I got caught while looking for a way to open the drawer."

"I can handle it." Corvo's had practice breaking into things. "You should get out before someone realises you're gone."

Campbell's office is four floors above them, which means Corvo has a lot of guards to dodge or sleep dart. He only has ten of the darts and he doesn't know if they have any permanent side effects so he tries to conserve them. That, and Corvo has to drag the bodies out of sight to hide them which carries an additional risk of being caught.

* * *

It's slow, nerve-wracking going and well into the early hours of the morning by the time Corvo sneaks his way into Campbell's office. Campbell is out for the evening and he must have been confident that nothing would happen in his absence because the door is unlocked and only one overseer is patrolling that part of the floor, whom Corvo has already knocked out and stashed behind a screen.

The desk Martin mentioned is huge and takes up most of the space in the middle of the room. What catches Corvo's attention first though, is the huge portrait of Overseer Campbell hanging on the wall. He's dressed in his uniform with a ceremonial sword at his hip, arms crossed and doing his best to look regal. It's utterly ridiculous and because he can, Corvo takes the picture out of the frame and folds it to fit into the pocket of his coat. It looks like a Sokolov painting, which Corvo has heard cost thousands of coins to get done. Too bad.

Corvo didn't bring any lockpicking tools and it'll take him a while to fashion some, so he tries to find a spare key first. If whatever's in this desk is really so damning, there's no way Campbell would keep only one key on his person and risk losing it. Where would a man vain enough to have a portrait of himself in his office keep his key though? Corvo almost doesn't check because it would just be too easy, but sure enough, stuck to the back of the frame is a small brass key.

Inside the drawer is a black journal containing very detailed accounts of Campbell's indiscretions, both with the Abbey's funds and his morals. Corvo's not sure why someone would keep a record of all the illegal and immoral things they've done – to gloat? To look back on fondly? – but it'll be of great help in discrediting Campbell.

Mission accomplished, Corvo quietly exits Campbell's office and starts planning his escape. Samuel had said he'd wait for Corvo just down the street from the Abbey to drive him back to the Hound Pits, but first Corvo has to get out of the compound.

He's fairly certain the floor guard he'd put to sleep is still knocked out, so it comes as a surprise when someone slams into Corvo and pushes him into a room. It's Captain Curnow, the head of security at Kaldwin Manor. And he's pointing a gun at Corvo's chest.

"Wait!" Corvo says, raising his hands. Curnow doesn't shoot him on the spot, so Corvo slowly moves one hand to lift up the mask.

"Corvo?" Curnow says incredulously, but he doesn't lower the pistol. "Lie if you have to, but tell me you didn't do it."

"I didn't, I swear." Corvo speaks quickly in case Curnow changes his mind about not shooting him. "Burrows sent assassins after us on the way back from the country estates. They killed Jessamine and took Emily and left me alive to take the blame."

"Burrows!" Curnow says the name like a curse. "I knew he was up to something." Curnow finally holsters his pistol and starts pacing. "He's in the manor, Corvo. I can't make him leave because he's appointed himself as Emily's regent. With Lady Jessamine dead and no other legally recognised kin, his claim to the title has been accepted."

"Emily's at the manor?" Corvo asks hopefully.

Curnow shakes his head. "He's got her stashed away somewhere else. He doesn't trust us not to protect her from him and he's right."

Corvo hadn't expected Burrows to make it that easy for him anyway.

"What are you doing here?" he asks. He never would have expected to meet Curnow sneaking around in the dark at the Abbey.

"I was supposed to meet with Campbell," Curnow says.

Corvo frowns. "Campbell's out this evening." It was one of the reasons Havelock had wanted him to leave for the Abbey so soon.

"I know. I suspect he intends to have me killed. But don't worry, I know how to handle myself. I'll get back to the manor and do my best to stop Burrows from sticking his fingers into everything."

"And I'll get Emily back," Corvo promises.

"I know you will. And Corvo?" Curnow places a hand on Corvo's shoulder. "I never believed what they said about you. And I'll make sure the guards know it too."

"Thank you, Captain. And be careful."

Corvo gives Curnow a few seconds before leaving the room. There's considerably more activity downstairs now; from what Corvo overhears, someone's discovered that Martin's missing. The guard shift has also changed, which means they'll soon be finding all the guards Corvo knocked out too. He's not going to make it across the compound to Samuel's truck.

Corvo opens the nearest window and quickly scans his surroundings. The overseers are scrambling into position with admirable speed and it won't be long before they find him. They've got all their vehicles under heavy guard and all exits are locked down, so there'll be no getting out that way. In an alley next to the compound though, Corvo can see a sleek black car parked near the wall. If he can get over the fence and to the car, he might just be able to get away.

Corvo climbs out onto the window ledge and starts precariously edging his way towards the compound wall. The overseers haven't found him yet so it's not too difficult. If anything, it's rather reminiscent of being yelled at by his superior officer on the climbing wall in training. He'd been more nervous then, because failing would have meant being kicked out of the guard and sent back to live on the streets. If he falls here... well he might die, so there is that.

A bigger problem is how to get over the wall and down to the other side. The stone wall is topped with metal spikes, and it's a long drop to the road with nothing to break his fall. If he can somehow land between the spikes though, he should be able to drop onto the car without a problem. Should be. At any rate, he can't stand on this ledge forever.

Corvo decides to push off the window and grab the wall with his hands, figuring there's less chance of death by horrible impalement that way. It goes well up until the point where he's hanging from the wall by his fingers and realising he has one chance to blindly haul himself over and land on the car. He doesn't have time to regret this though, because the overseers have spotted him and are likely to start taking shots any moment now. He pulls himself over.

He overcompensates and ends up hurtling towards the ground head first. Instinct kicks in, and Corvo rolls into a ball, arms coming up just in time for him to hit the car shoulder first and roll off the roof, landing mostly on his feet.

"Hello Corvo," comes a man's voice from the driver's side of the car.

Corvo stumbles to his feet, one hand going to the pistol at his hip. The passenger window is rolled down, revealing a young man behind the wheel. Corvo doesn't know him, but the man obviously knows who Corvo is and what he's doing here, which is all Corvo needs to yank open the door and get inside the car.

"Your life has taken a turn, has it not?" the man says serenely.

"Just drive!" Corvo shouts. It might just be his imagination, but he thinks he can hear the shouts of the overseers getting closer.

The man looks rather put out, but he steps on the accelerator.

They race through the streets of Dunwall faster than Corvo's ever dared to drive a car – he didn't even know they could go this fast – but even as the buildings speed by at a dizzying rate, the man looks as calm as if they were cruising along at walking speed. Corvo stares straight ahead for most of the journey as if they'll crash if he takes his eyes off the road, but occasionally sneaks glances out of the corner of his eye; the man's expression never changes.

They finally glide to a smooth stop at the bottom of the road leading to the Hound Pits and the man turns to face Corvo.

"You will play a pivotal role in the days to come," he says, and if that wasn't unnerving enough, his eyes are completely black. Whether that's because his pupils are completely dilated or his irises really are black, Corvo can't bring himself to care right now.

"I'm going to get out now. Thanks for the ride."

Corvo stumbles into the pub to find that Martin's already arrived, safe and sound. So has Samuel, who apologises profusely for leaving Corvo behind.

"It was my fault," Corvo insists. "I took too long and they got suspicious about their missing patrols. I'm glad you got back alright."

Corvo shows Havelock Campbell's journal and tells him about meeting Curnow, who turns out to be Callista's uncle.

"He'll be fine," Corvo assures her. "I've never seen a Captain with more loyal men. They'll watch out for him."

"Well done, Corvo," Havelock says, taking the journal. "Martin and I will look through this and see if it gives us a clue as to Lady Emily's whereabouts. You go get some rest now."

Corvo goes by Piero's workshop first to drop off the various trinkets and pieces of scrap he'd picked up.

"Oh, and I got this." Corvo takes Campbell's portrait out of his coat pocket.

"Is that a Sokolov painting?" Piero asks, peering at it with the fingers of one hand holding the arm of his glasses.

"I think so," Corvo answers. "It was in Campbell's office."

"You folded it!" Piero turns his stare on Corvo.

"I wasn't going to carry it out in the frame," Corvo says defensively. "You want it or not?"

"I'll take it."

* * *

 The sun is just starting to come up when Corvo finally puts his head on his pillow. He's asleep almost instantly, and dreams of a blue void. Uneven ground materialises under his feet, forming a path that he cautiously follows. All caution is abandoned when Corvo sees a familiar form lying prone ahead of him.

"Jessamine?" His head knows it's not real, but his heart propels him forward and to his knees.

Jessamine is dressed in the same clothes Corvo last saw her in, and would look like she was sleeping, albeit in a strange position, if not for the pool of blood seeping out from under her. There's a letter next to her head, miraculously untouched by the blood. Corvo picks it up.

YOU CANNOT SAVE HER, the letter reads. YOU CANNOT SAVE HER. YOU CANNOT SAVE HER. YOU CANNOT–

Corvo drops the letter.

He wants to get out. Whatever sick prank his subconscious is playing on him, he wants to wake up right now.

He doesn't wake up, but the young man from the car appears.

"Who are you?" Corvo demands.

"I am the Outsider, and this is my mark." The Outsider waves his hand, and Corvo watches with morbid fascination as a strange symbol burns itself onto the back of his left hand.

He wakes up in his bed and though his hand still stings, the mark is gone.

* * *

 "Good news, Corvo," says Havelock when Corvo comes downstairs. "We think we've found a clue as to where they're holding Lady Emily."

Martin, sitting on the other side of Havelock at the bar, raises his glass.

"Where?" Corvo asks.

"We haven't found a precise location yet," says Martin, "but we believe she's being held at the home of Burrows' mistress. Trouble is, we're not quite sure who she is."

"How is this good news?" Corvo asks.

"In Campbell's journal it says she sat for a painting with Sokolov," Havelock says. "He'll be able to tell us her name. He's at his apartment on Kaldwin's Bridge today, but not for long. We need you to bring him back here."

"Alright." Kidnapping's not the worst thing Corvo's ever done, and if it'll help him get Emily back, he'd gladly do it.

No traffic is allowed across Kaldwin Bridge at night, so Samuel has to set Corvo down a block away from the Southside Gate and leave him to make his own way to the North End.

"I've a few deliveries to make but I'll drive by again in a couple of hours," Samuel says. "If you're here, I can give you a ride back to the Hound Pits."

Corvo's carried out inspections on the bridge with Jessamine before, so he knows of a few routes he can take to circumvent the checkpoint at the gate. Since Jessamine's death though, there's been an increased military presence on the street, including overseers who seem to be allowed everywhere now. They've even installed what Corvo thinks is a Wall of Light; he vaguely remembers Sokolov rambling about his latest invention in the background while Corvo had steadfastly ignored him. It's powered by whale oil, of course, but the tank is on the other side of the wall and surrounded by at least three guards.

Corvo doesn't have time to formulate a new plan before a sleek black car rolls to a stop next to him.

"Hello Corvo," the Outsider says in the same serene tone of voice he'd used the first time they'd met.

The passenger window is rolled down, and Corvo stares unabashedly into the car. "Who are you?" he asks.

The Outsider cocks his head, like he finds Corvo amusing. "I believe I introduced myself to you earlier today."

"No." Corvo takes a step back. "No, that was a dream."

"Believe what you will, but I can get you past the checkpoint."

"How did you know I'd be here?"

"I am here to offer you my help, Corvo," the Outsider says patiently. "You can accept it or I can leave."

"Fine," Corvo decides. If the Outsider, or whatever his name is, is genuine in his offer, it'll save Corvo a considerable amount of time and effort. If not... well he'll deal with that when the time comes.

The Outsider drives straight up to the checkpoint and Corvo reins in his anxiety with great difficulty. He's got one hand gripping the door handle tightly and the other on the hilt of his sword as the Outsider calmly rolls down his window and greets the soldier at the checkpoint.

"Come back in the morning," the soldier says brusquely. Before he leaves, he gives the inside of the car a cursory glance. "Wait a minute..." he says, leaning down.

"You don't want to do that." The Outsider lays a hand on the soldier's arm.

What little Corvo can see of the soldier's face is suddenly very pale. The back of Corvo's left hand starts to ache and he thinks he goes as pale as the man.

"Let us pass and we'll be out of your way in no time," the Outsider says.

"Y-yes sir, of course."

The Outsider lets go of the soldier's arm, and the man backs up quickly into the guard booth and lowers the wall.

"What did you do to him?" Corvo asks once they've left the checkpoint behind. He rubs his left hand – which doesn't hurt any more, but a phantom pain still lingers – with his right, but doesn't say anything about that.

"Corvo," the Outsider says, having the gall to sound offended, "whatever imagined fears that man had has nothing to do with anything I might have done to him."

"I don't believe you," Corvo mutters under his breath.

"Believe what you will," the Outsider says indifferently.

They drive slowly along the bridge, attracting a few stares from the guards stationed along its length, others making a point to avert their eyes, but none of them dare to approach the car.

"Make sure he's unconscious before you bring him into my car," the Outsider says after stopping the car across the road from the street leading to Sokolov's house. "I've met the man and I don't care much for him."

"You're just going to sit here?" Corvo asks, already halfway out of the car. Not that he expected the man to help, but, "just out in the open? With soldiers and overseers all over the bridge?"

"Yes. But do be quick, I suspect things will get awfully dull without you here."

Dull, right. Because that's what they need to be worrying about now.

Sokolov frequently tells anyone who'll listen about his expansive wine cellar filled with exotic vintages and about the deliveries he receives directly by boat from the wineries outside of Dunwall, so Corvo presumes there's a riverside entrance to the cellar. He turns down an alley before the wall of light outside Sokolov's house – just what is he doing in there to warrant such strict security? – and follows the street down to the water. The walkway doesn't connect to Sokolov's house but there is a small boat downstream that Corvo borrows to take him to the cellar door.

The door has a whale oil powered lock that Sokolov favours, and knowing this, Piero had sent Corvo with several rewire tools designed specifically to crack them. He hasn't had the opportunity to test them yet so Corvo's a little skeptical about their chance of success, but to his surprise, all he has to do is attach one to the panel next to the door, and within seconds there's a click and the door opens.

The wine cellar really is every bit as impressive as Sokolov boasts, and unguarded too. The man puts too much faith in his inventions, Corvo thinks as he follows the stairs up to the main floor of the house. There, Sokolov has a number of guards patrolling the floor – and the upper levels too, by the sounds of things – so Corvo climbs onto one of the exposed pipes above the stairwell then onto the walkway above that to avoid them.

He sticks close to the side of the house and sleep darts the guards he can't sneak past, stashing the unconscious guards in dark corners and behind bookshelves after relieving them of their coin. From the ones that are still walking around, Corvo learns that Sokolov has been locked up in his rooftop lab for days conducting experiments on live test subjects that make their screams echo through the house. Corvo hears one such scream now, and hastens to the rooftop.

In his rush, he sees the guard patrolling the rooftop nearly too late, and he has to duck into the laboratory to avoid being seen. Luckily, Sokolov has all his attention on the audiograph he's recording and doesn't see or hear Corvo enter.

"As for test subject 312," Sokolov is saying, "she should be dead by mid-morning tomorrow." He turns off the audiograph player and walks over to the cage at the back of the lab where a woman is holding onto the bars and begging to be let out.

"Please sir, I don't want to die," she says.

"Hush now, no one's going to die," Sokolov says placatingly. "You are much improved, subject 312. In fact, tomorrow I shall have the guards remove you from this cell. Late morning, perhaps."

Having heard enough, Corvo hits Sokolov with a sleep dart, and he's unconscious on the floor before he knows anything is wrong, which is a pity. Corvo would have loved to see the look on his face.

Corvo takes the key off Sokolov's body and unlocks the door of the cage. The woman slowly looks him up and down with wide eyes.

"Thank you, whoever you are," she eventually says in a hoarse voice. "The pain is horrible right now, so I'll just hide in a corner and leave when I'm feeling better."

Corvo watches her go and wonders when the world got so wretched. Or was it always like this and he'd just never noticed?

Corvo shakes himself out of his thoughts and looks around the laboratory for anything he can pocket and give to Piero as thanks for the rewire tools. Maybe he would appreciate a bottle of Sokolov's wine, but it's too late to go back for one.

Corvo picks Sokolov up and throws him over his shoulder. He plans to use the fire escape to leave which will probably trip an alarm, but it's going to be impossible to carry Sokolov back through the house undetected anyway. Corvo opens the laboratory door with a loud bang, takes out the guard who comes to investigate with his last sleep dart, then takes a deep breath and makes a mad dash for the street.

Corvo has the element of surprise on his side, and easily runs past the guards stationed outside who don't expect trouble to come from inside the house. He shoots out the whale oil tank for the wall of light to turn it off – while running too, he's rather proud of that – turns a corner, and heaves a sigh of relief when he sees the Outsider's car is still there. Corvo's escape plan had hinged on it, and the thought had occurred to him while he was running that it would just be hilarious if the Outsider had left while Corvo was gone.

"You certainly like to keep things interesting."

Corvo thinks the Outsider hasn't moved since he left. He wrenches open the back door and falls into the back seat with Sokolov.

"I'm glad you think so, but it's time to go."

The soldiers and overseers Corvo could have sworn were following him seem to have suddenly lost his trail. The Outsider drives at a sedate pace across the bridge, back towards the Southside Gate. He speaks quietly to the soldiers at the checkpoint – different ones, this time – who let the car through with no problem at all. Corvo's left hand tingles as they leave the bridge.

It's a quiet drive back to the Hound Pits, the only sounds in the car the radio that is on too quietly for Corvo to hear the song playing, and Sokolov snoring with his face pressed into the window. He'll have a hell of an ache in his neck when he wakes up, but Corvo can't bring himself to care.

"Why are you helping me?" Corvo asks as he pulls Sokolov out of the car.

"You fascinate me, Corvo," is all the Outsider says.

His expression remains eerily neutral but there's a hint of a smile in his eyes as Corvo slams the door a little harder than necessary and drags Sokolov into the pub.

"Samuel says he drove by the bridge but he didn't see you," Havelock says once they've got Sokolov locked in the empty storage building outside the pub. "I told him not to worry as you'd probably found some other way of getting back, like you did at the Abbey."

"I had some help," Corvo admits. "From someone who calls himself the Outsider."

Martin stares at Corvo, mouth hanging slightly open. Havelock frowns.

"Be careful Corvo, he's dangerous," Martin says tightly.

"So you've heard of him?" Corvo asks.

"He's become somewhat of an urban legend amongst some. He's almost a myth amongst the overseers."

"I've never heard of him." Corvo always seems to be the last one to know things these days.

"He lures people in with promises of their heart's desires, uses them for his own ends, then leaves them dead or crazy. Surely you've heard of Granny Rags."

Havelock snorts. "She's just an old woman, Martin, if a little mad. Don't tell me you think she's a witch too."

Corvo has in fact heard of Granny Rags, in the form of cautionary tales told to children – be home by sunset or Granny Rags will turn you into a rat and throw you in her stew, or something – but he didn't know she was a real person.

"The Outsider hasn't promised me anything," Corvo says to cover up the uneasiness he's starting to feel. "He just shows up sometimes."

"This isn't the first time?" Martin asks.

"The second. The first was at the Abbey." Corvo thinks back to the exhilarating drive they'd had, the way they'd sped down the street and how the buildings had passed by in a blur, inertia slamming him into the car door as they took a turned a tight corner. It had only happened yesterday, but it seemed like a memory long past already.

Martin chuckles darkly. "Sokolov will have a field day with this. He's been trying to find the Outsider for years."

"The Outsider did mention he wasn't very fond of Sokolov," Corvo says.

"And you didn't find this strange?"

"Well, I'm not very fond of Sokolov either."

"That's quite enough, I think," Havelock cuts in. "Let's get some sleep and resume talking about this once we've had some rest."

* * *

Through a combination of threats and bribery, they eventually extract from Sokolov that he doesn't even know the name of Burrows' mistress, only that it's one of the Boyle sisters.

"Damn you, Sokolov!" Corvo bangs on the bars of Sokolov's cage in frustration. He's never been prone to emotional outbursts, but he can't believe that after all that effort, they still have next to nothing. "She knows where Emily is."

"Young Emily Kaldwin?" Sokolov asks in surprise. "Burrows says _you_ have her."

"Burrows is a liar and a murderer," Corvo says through clenched teeth. "He paid to have Jessamine killed and framed me for it so that he could take over Kaldwin Refineries. He's even named himself Emily's regent. Honestly, Sokolov, don't you pay attention to anything?"

He probably doesn't, Corvo belatedly realises, if he spends all day cooped up in his laboratory. Add to that his influence amongst the nobility, and he would have been Burrows' ideal target to turn into an ally.

"Well that changes things." Sokolov seems unfazed, stroking his beard with one hand. "I was going to be introduced to the Lady Boyle in question at a masked ball tonight. Too bad I've left my invitation at home. Perhaps you could retrieve it for me?"

There's no time to go back for Sokolov's invitation, but apparently there is time to send Corvo to crawl around in the sewers under the pub looking for some imaginary disturbance. After about an hour of searching, Corvo finds nothing but rats and maybe a hagfish or two that might be swimming in the murky water, and he's about to tell Havelock exactly where he can stick his little 'mission' when Corvo hears the unmistakeable sound of a river krust shell opening. He ducks first out of instinct, then looks around for the krust while loading a bolt into his crossbow.

The krust has attached itself to a grate, almost invisible in the darkness of the sewer. Corvo tracks its position by watching the streaks of acid fly by, and fires blindly around the corner when he thinks he knows where it is. The splash of the krust falling off its stalk and into the water tells him he's succeeded.

The source of the disturbance that Corvo had been sent to investigate in the first place is likely the corpse that's lying on the walkway around the corner. The man's been dead for a day at most, the ground near him stained with river krust acid. Probably a homeless man looking for shelter that had been caught by surprise, Corvo thinks sadly.

He goes back to the pub and acquires an old sheet from Lydia to wrap the man's body in. As Corvo rolls the man onto the sheet, something he was clutching in his hand falls to the ground. It's some kind of charm carved out of bone, with something painted on it, and makes the back of Corvo's left hand burn when he picks it up. That's enough to arouse his suspicion, and when he holds it up to the light to inspect, sure enough, the Outsider's symbol is painted on the charm. Corvo tucks it back inside the man's shirt and wraps him in the sheet, then carries him out onto the street for the dead counters to pick up.

Havelock congratulates Corvo on a job well done with a poorly concealed grimace, and hastily tells Corvo that he has the rest of the day off to prepare for the party. Corvo takes the chance to have a long soak in the tub to wash off the smell of death and sewage, but even though he sits in the soapy water until it goes cold, thinking about the charm he'd found on the dead man, he still feels like anyone who looks at him can tell where he's been. Not a good start for meeting with nobles, especially when he hasn't been able to come up with a plan to infiltrate the manor.

"Mr Attano?" That shy girl that Corvo hardly ever sees around the place has her head in his doorway, the rest of her body out of view. "There's a car. Outside. For you," she says, stopping and starting as if trying to avoid saying too many words in one go.

"Thank you, I'll be right down," Corvo says, trying to put on his boots without bending over too much. Sokolov is not a small man, and carrying him slung over one shoulder has not done any good for Corvo's still-healing wounds. "Cecelia, was it?"

Cecelia's eyes go wide and she mutters something under her breath before vanishing from the doorway.

Havelock, Martin, and Pendleton are gathered at the bar when Corvo goes downstairs. Havelock wishes him good luck while Martin gives Corvo a meaningful look and tilts his head towards the door.

"Did you talk to him?" Corvo asks.

Martin scoffs. "I'm not that masochistic."

The Outsider's car is idling directly outside the pub's front door, and for once Corvo's not in any particular hurry to escape or get somewhere, so he takes the opportunity to properly look at the car. It's more rectangular compared to the square shape of most other cars Corvo's seen, and cuts a striking figure on the desolate street. It's black all over, complete with tinted windows that hide the occupants of the car. The window closest to Corvo slides down.

"Hello, Corvo," the Outsider says. He's changed for the occasion; or maybe he's just put on a jacket over that white shirt he usually wears.

"Yeah, yeah, hello to you too," Corvo says, getting in the car.

As they approach the Estate District, the city becomes noticeably livelier. There are more cars and carriages on the road, and more patrols too, soldiers and private security alike.

"Put your mask on," the Outsider says as they near the checkpoint outside the Boyle Manor.

"Won't that attract more attention?" Corvo asks. He'd brought it along out of habit, but hadn't expected to actually need it.

"It's a masquerade. I daresay I'll attract more attention than you."

Corvo puts on the mask.

The Outsider has an actual invitation which he uses to gain them passage onto the manor grounds. A valet takes the car at the front door, leaving Corvo and the Outsider to walk in together.

"Don't be so tense, you're here as my guest," the Outsider says as he takes Corvo's hand in his. He nods cordially at the guards by the door and signs the guestbook in the foyer.

Corvo sneaks a glance at the Outsider's signature, but he can't make out a name amongst the messy scribble.

It doesn't help Corvo's nerves when they're noticed almost immediately upon entering the main hall. At least most of the guests are more interested in the Outsider than they are in Corvo. From what Corvo can gather, the Outsider is a reclusive but sought-after socialite of some renown.

"Who's your date?" someone asks.

"This is Corvo." the Outsider says. "We've driven a long way to get here tonight and he must be starving." He looks up at Corvo with a warm smile. The Outsider's just putting on a show, of course, but just seeing it makes Corvo momentarily speechless. "Why don't you get something to eat and I'll join you later?"

"Of course!" Corvo blurts out after the Outsider squeezes his hand to prompt him to respond. "Good idea."

"There's food in the East Wing, just through there," a man in a whale mask says, gesturing to a doorway behind him.

Corvo catches himself halfway into a bow before he remembers he's supposed to be acting as their equal. He hurriedly takes his leave, flushing in embarrassment behind his mask, but thankfully, the rest of the group seems to have taken it as a gesture of politeness rather than deference.

* * *

Corvo lingers by one of the buffet tables, pretending to inspect the food while in reality he's eavesdropping on a conversation three people at the next table are having. They're talking about his supposed betrayal of Jessamine in loud whispers; Burrows' fearmongering has done its job well, apparently.

"The Lady Boyle you are after is Esma, in red." The Outsider appears out of nowhere and casually reaches for a plate like he hadn't just scared the living daylights out of Corvo.

"How do you know that?" Corvo asks.

"I asked nicely," the Outsider says. "You'd best be off now, Corvo. It shouldn't be too hard; I hear Esma is rather fond of the… direct approach."

One of the Boyles dressed all in red happens to be passing through the hall at that very moment. Corvo, by now used to the Outsider's uncanny sense of timing, picks up a glass of wine from the table and goes to intercept her.

"My lady," Corvo says, offering the glass to stall for time as he tries to remember his etiquette lessons from his early days in the guard. "I believe I know your name."

Esma takes the glass. "Oh really? Who am I, then?" She takes a sip and looks coyly at him over the glass.

The guests might be bored of the game, but Corvo can tell it still amuses at least Esma.

"Maybe we could discuss it in private," he suggests, lowering his voice.

Esma places the glass back on the table. "Oh really?" she replies in kind. "Where would you like to take me?"

Esma leads Corvo upstairs to her chambers, and the two of them make it unchallenged past the guards and overseers even though Corvo's sure the cold sweat he breaks into upon passing the overseers is apparent to everyone.

"You know, I have a dirty little secret," Esma whispers to him as they climb up the stairs. She sounds a little tipsy and she's clutching tightly to Corvo's arm. "You can't imagine who I'm seeing. I mean, if only people knew! But I'm only doing it to insure the family name. It's too dangerous right now to not have proper connections."

It's nothing Corvo doesn't already know, but he nods along and makes interested noises at the appropriate times to hide his impatience. Once they're alone, there'll be no need to play along any further.

"Where is Emily Kaldwin?" Corvo wastes no time in asking once the bedroom door shuts behind him. He flicks his sword open for maximum effect.

Esma turns around and gasps loudly when she sees the sword in Corvo's hand "You– you're–"

"Never mind who I am. Where is she?" Corvo takes a step forward.

Esma takes several steps back and falls onto the bed. "She's not here!" Esma holds out one hand placatingly. "Please..."

"Where is she?" Corvo growls impatiently. "You hid her away for Burrows. Where?"

"The Golden Cat! Please don't–"

"I'm not going to kill you. But you are going to leave Dunwall tonight. Tell no one and make sure nobody sees you, or the men I have stationed around the manor will start killing the guests. Then your sisters. Which one do you want to go first?" It's a blatant lie that Corvo desperately sells by being as aggressive as he can without actually harming Esma. If she tips Burrows off, Emily will slip away.

"No!" Esma gasps. "I'll go! Don't do anything."

"The sooner you leave, the sooner my men and I will."

"I can go now. There's a boat in the cellar. Please, just leave my sisters alone."

"I'll be watching."

Corvo gives Esma a ten second head start, pacing about the room attempting to take deep, even breaths while listening intently for any signs of the guards being alerted. After ten agonisingly slow seconds have passed, he quietly slips out of the room.

The corridor is empty and Corvo can't see anything to indicate that the guards are lying in wait for him. It sounds like a brawl has broken out on the other side of the manor and the guards are trying to break it up. Good, they won't be able to watch the stairs at the same time.

The fight appears to be between a man in a wolf mask – one Lord Shaw, by the sounds of things – and, to Corvo's annoyance, the Outsider. Lord Shaw is shouting angrily as the guards drag him outside while the Outsider just stands there looking mildly inconvenienced.

"Are you well, Corvo?" the Outsider asks when Corvo approaches him.

"Yes," Corvo says, somehow trying to convey through that one word his need to leave immediately before anyone notices one of the Boyle sisters is missing from the party.

"It seems we have overstayed our welcome," the Outsider says.

"I am so sorry about that sir," says one of the guards who had escorted Lord Shaw out. "Lord Shaw has been dealt with and he will not be returning. I hope your evening has not been spoiled."

"It is no matter," the Outsider says. "We should be going anyway, it is a long drive back."

The guards continue to apologise as they make their way to the front doors of the mansion, and Corvo can't help but sign his own name in the guestbook while the Outsider is busy benevolently waving off the apologies.

"Have I upset you, Corvo?" the Outsider asks when they're in the car.

"Why are you asking?" Corvo says suspiciously. Since when has the Outsider cared about how he felt.

"You seemed displeased when I didn't help you with Sokolov so I thought I'd take a more active role this time. Did I read your intentions wrongly?"

"No, it's just… don't get me wrong, I appreciate the help, but what are you looking for in return?"

"Nothing, Corvo. I am merely here to observe. The chain of events that unfold around you are most fascinating."

Martin is still awake when Corvo trudges into the pub. He's sitting at the bar, Campbell's journal open in front of him as he drinks something from a glass.

"Emily's at the Golden Cat," Corvo says in lieu of a greeting.

"And the Lady Boyle?" Martin's surveying Corvo with an intense look.

"She's fled the city. Burrows won't be getting any more money from her."

"Excellent work, Corvo!" Martin puts his glass down and goes over to give Corvo a hearty slap on the back.

Corvo feels a bit like a dog being praised for doing a trick.

"You must be exhausted," Martin says, and only then does Corvo realize that half the night is already gone. "Why don't you head upstairs and get some sleep? Enjoy a bit of a lie-in too, I'll update Havelock and Pendleton in the morning."

* * *

That night, Corvo dreams of being back at the Boyle Manor. The lavish decorations from the party are still in place, but the mansion is completely devoid of guests and guards alike. And instead of the orchestral music Corvo remembers playing in the background, there are faint strains of whale song that sound like they're coming from outside the manor.

Corvo follows the whale song out to the gardens, but instead of grass and carefully sculpted hedges, he finds the same blue void he'd dreamt of last time. This time, there are whales floating in the void around him, most of them far off in the distance, but one or two are close enough that Corvo can make eye contact with them as they drift by.

"Hello Corvo," says the Outsider, materialising out of nowhere.

Corvo wakes up.

* * *

The sun is high above Dunwall when Corvo finds Havelock in the yard with Pendleton, shooting bottles lined up on a crate at the far end.

"When do I leave?" Corvo asks before Havelock can offer any congratulations on the previous night's success.

"Tonight," Havelock says, holstering his pistol. "We are also eager to have young Emily out of Burrows' grasp."

"Before you go, Corvo, there is something I must speak with you about," Pendleton says, sounding overly sombre. He turns away and walks towards the water.

"At the Golden Cat you'll find my two older brothers, Morgan and Custis. They are close allies of Lord Burrows and currently hold the family's seat on the whaling committee. I'm afraid they must be eliminated if we want to restore Lady Emily to her rightful place in her house."

"You want me to kill them?" Corvo clarifies. Nobles usually mean kill when they use words like 'eliminate' and 'neutralise', but it never hurts to be sure.

"Do whatever you feel is necessary," Pendleton says unhelpfully.

They won't make an assassin out of him, Corvo decides. If Pendleton wants his brothers dead he'll have to find someone else to do it. If Corvo can somehow convince them to leave Dunwall like he did with Esma Boyle, it will have to be enough for their purposes.

* * *

Samuel drives him to the Distillery District and Corvo can't help but notice the difference between Samuel's truck and the Outsider's car. For one, the truck is bigger and they're higher up, but there's also something about the old, weathered interior and the steady stream of mundane but soothing small talk Samuel keeps up that makes Corvo feel at ease.

"Be careful out there, Corvo," Samuel says when he pulls to a stop a street over from the boulevard. "A friend of mine told me Campbell's put up one of them watchtowers on John Clavering. Guess you breaking into his office gave him a scare."

On one hand, Corvo's pleased he's managed to elicit such a reaction from the normally stoic High Overseer, but on the other hand, Corvo's seen a watchtower in action and he doesn't fancy going up against one. Jessamine had refused to install one on the manor grounds even after the assassination attempt, citing them as too barbaric.

"Thanks for the warning."

"If you want to avoid the boulevard and find another way into the Golden Cat, you could try looking for Slackjaw. He and his gang are holed up in the Whiskey Distillery."

"Will do, Samuel. I'll meet you by the river when I've got Emily."

Corvo can hear the watchtower whirring and clicking away the moment he steps out of the truck. There's a high-pitched whine, then an explosion that makes the ground tremble as it fires at some unlucky fool on the other side of the street. The lack of yelling and running tells Corvo it didn't miss. He's definitely taking that detour to the Distillery District.

He doesn't get far into the district before someone calls for him.

"Hey you in the mask!" a man leaning against a wall shouts. "Slackjaw wants to talk to you!"

Corvo looks over at him and the man jerks his head down the street leading to the distillery, which is just fine, seeing as that's where Corvo wanted to go in the first place.

Although his men keep their distance and watch Corvo with wary curiosity, Slackjaw immediately knows who he is.

"Corvo Attano," he says, slowly looking Corvo up and down, taking in the mask and guard's uniform. "Both the first and second most wanted man in Dunwall. I could hardly believe it when my men told me you were wandering around outside the distillery."

"I was told you knew a way to get into the Golden Cat," Corvo says, cutting to the chase.

"You after the two Pendletons, then?"

Corvo's wearing the mask, but Slackjaw still seems able to sense his surprise.

"It makes sense; they're the only ones out here worthy of your attention. I've heard all about your… exploits. A man in a mask, going around bringing the high and mighty of Dunwall to their knees? Figure I could get behind a man like that."

Great, Corvo thinks. He's become a role model for criminals. "So how do I get in?"

"Not so fast, I need you to help me first. Someone, I don't know who, is killing my men and taking my goods. Might be a fellow by the name of Galvani. I sent my best man Crowley to investigate but he went missing, and now I need someone to find out what happened to him. Go to this Galvani's place. He lives nearby, off Clavering Boulevard. You do that for me, and I'll getcha a better way into the Golden Cat. Hell, I'll take care of the Pendletons for you and you won't even need to step foot in the place. I've got a much better plan for them than death."

Corvo considers this for a moment. The Pendletons are only half of his to-do list tonight, and not even the important half. But if he lets Slackjaw take care of them, he can focus on finding Emily. Looking for a missing man sounds more appealing than trying to dispose of two corrupt nobles anyway.

"I'll do this for you, but I still need to get into the Golden Cat."

"Suit yourself." Slackjaw waves a hand and goes back to looking at the papers on his desk.

One of Slackjaw's men points Corvo towards a shortcut to the boulevard that bypasses the watchtower, but when Corvo gets there, there's still a whole street of guards between him and Galvani's house. Luckily, Corvo's been on the other side before and he knows that each guard has a set route to patrol or area to watch, and it's just a matter of sneaking in through the gaps. The perfect patrol will have no such gaps, but there's always one guard that gets bored and starts walking their rounds early, or another who ducks down an alley to have a smoke, and an opening presents itself.

Sometimes, like this time, such openings take him right into a hedge next to Galvani's house with something wickedly sharp poking into his back, but the hedge has just saved him from being discovered by a guard that walks by a second later, so Corvo tries not to think too poorly of it. He's considering making a break for the side door he can see from his hiding spot when the door in question opens.

"Ah, just leave him there, the dead counters will pick him up in the morning, and no one need ever know he got past us" someone says in a loud whisper.

Two figures come out the door, carrying something long and heavy between them. They drop it against the wall, just behind the dumpsters.

"Now let's get back before anyone notices we're missing." The two figures go back inside.

Corvo's suspicions are confirmed when he checks behind the dumpsters and finds a corpse. Slackjaw's man, most likely. There's a copious amount of blood on his clothes originating from various wounds about his body, and his eyes are still open, like he's been surprised. Corvo checks the corpse for anything he might still have left on him and comes up with an audiograph card, bloodstained but probably still playable. He hopes it'll be enough for Slackjaw.

"Well?" Slackjaw asks when Corvo returns to the distillery.

"Dead, I think," Corvo says. "Found the body of a man dressed like one of yours outside Galvani's house." He holds out the audiograph card.

Slackjaw's expression is grim as he takes the card from Corvo and puts it into the player.

"Slackjaw, it's me, Crowley," the recording starts, "I'm making this in case I don't make it back. You was right, there is someone wants you dead. Wants to take over the distillery – the whole Bottle Street Gang. And you'll never believe who is it neither. At first I didn't – that's why it's taken me so long. I wanted to be sure and.. what's that?" The recording finishes with Crowley screaming.

Corvo grimaces. Not exactly the best news to bring a gang leader about his best man.

"So Crowley's dead and you bring me more questions than answers." Slackjaw exhales heavily, leaning on the desk. "Still," he says after a long moment, "you and me had a deal, and Slackjaw never goes back on a deal."

Corvo feels tension he didn't know he had leave his shoulders.

"Take this key." Slackjaw pulls a key off his belt and tosses it at Corvo. "It's for The Captain's Chair, an old hotel that's been marked for demolition for years. If you go through the hotel it'll get you off the streets and away from the guards, and it shares a side alley with the Golden Cat."

"And the Pendletons?"

"I won't kill 'em and no one'll ever see 'em again. Now if that ain't a deal, I don't know what is."

"Alright." Corvo weighs the key in his hand, thinks of something to say that will serve as a thank you and a goodbye without saying either. "It was good doing business with you."

"Always happy to help."

The hotel is behind the distillery, just off Bottle Street which is still patrolled by the City Watch, but they seem to have some sort of accord with the gang as each faction keeps to their side of the street and exchanges nothing more than a few dirty looks with the other side. Still, Corvo's glad he doesn't have to take the chance of getting caught between them; he's not sure if Slackjaw will be as compelled to help him if it comes down to Corvo or his men.

The door to the alley Slackjaw mentioned is at the end of the long, dusty hallway. The windows are boarded up, but there are plenty of holes in the walls and ceiling to let light in to see by. Most of the hotel's furnishings are gone, but there's still a broken chair here, a torn curtain there. The carpet runner in the hall is still in place too, worn down in the middle from years of foot traffic and chewed at the edges, by rats, probably.

The alley is shared by more than just the hotel and the Golden Cat; dumpsters and piles of trash are lined up against the walls next to doors that lead to other buildings. There aren't any signs on the doors, and out of curiosity, Corvo cranes his neck to see if he can uncover any clues as to which buildings they are when he hears a sound behind him and turns just in time to see a small, white figure dart behind a dumpster. It looked like a child and for a moment Corvo thinks... but it can't be. Or can it?

"Emily?" he calls softly, hoping to whoever is listening that it hadn't just been his imagination.

The white figure slowly emerges from behind the dumpster.

"Emily." Corvo takes off the mask and bends down on one knee, holding his arms out.

"Corvo!" Emily runs down the alley and throws herself into his arms.

Corvo picks her up and swings her around like he had so many times at the country estates.

"I knew you'd come for me," Emily says confidently. "They told me you were dead, like mother, but I knew."

"How did you get out here?" Corvo asks.

"It's not very hard. I've already tried twice but I couldn't figure a way out of the alley before someone caught me.

Then last night I had a dream. A man with black eyes was in it and he told me to escape tonight, that someone would come to help me. I knew it would be you." Emily lays her head on Corvo's chest.

So it seems the Outsider is still meddling in Corvo's affairs even when he's not here in person. Corvo silently sends his thanks and hopes it gets lost on its way to the Outsider, that egotistic bastard.

* * *

There's a welcome for Emily at the pub befitting a lady of her status. Everyone has gathered in the courtyard to meet them, even the servants, and they bow when Corvo helps Emily out of the truck. Callista soon takes Emily away to see the room that's been prepared for her in the tower next to the pub, Emily giving Corvo a small wave as she leaves.

"You never fail to impress, Corvo," Havelock says when Emily is out of earshot.

"I trust you've handled the business with my brothers?" Pendleton asks, not making eye contact with Corvo.

"I have," Corvo says.

"Good. I won't ask for the details." Pendleton walks away, both hands grabbing at his lapels.

"It's time, Corvo," Havelock says, gesturing for Corvo to walk with him to the pub. "Everything that we've done up until now has served to make this moment possible."

"Burrows is exposed," Martin says, coming up on Corvo's other side. "Vulnerable. He's lost the bulk of his financial and military support but he hasn't given up yet. He's consolidated what's left of his men at Kaldwin Manor and he's waiting. He knows something is coming. He might even know it's you."

"Get some rest before you head out. And good luck, Corvo. Our hopes are riding on you."

The sun is quickly coming up and Corvo can feel the night's events catching up to him, but before he collapses in his bed he pays Emily a visit. The room in the tower is only accessible from Corvo's floor of the pub, connected to the main building by a metal walkway in much need of maintenance. Corvo's never walked over to the tower, so he's surprised when Callista opens the door and shows him a small but richly decorated room.

The sheets and pillows are much nicer than what Corvo's seen in the rest of the pub, and there are even embroidered curtains hanging over the windows. There are books and an audiograph on a table, and a doll on the dresser next to one of the beds. Emily is sitting on the floor drawing a picture, but she leaps up when she sees Corvo.

"Corvo!" Emily greets him with a hug even though they can't have been apart for more than half an hour.

"You should get some sleep," Corvo tells her. "You've been awake all night."

"But I'm not tired," Emily complains in such a familiar way that Corvo can't help but smile.

"She's just a little overexcited," Callista says. "She'll be out once the novelty wears off."

"Well I'm exhausted," Corvo says to Emily. "I'll leave you to your drawing and check in on you later."

"Can I sleep in your room, Corvo?" Emily asks hopefully.

"No, you'll be much more comfortable here. Don't give Callista too much trouble, alright?"

Emily promises to be good with a long-suffering sigh and pecks Corvo on the cheek before returning to her drawing.

"You don't need to worry, Corvo, I'll look after her," Callista says as she sees Corvo to the door.

"I know, Callista. Thank you."

* * *

 Corvo falls asleep more easily now that he knows Emily is safe. He sleeps deeply and dreamlessly, and wakes up in the afternoon feeling better than he has in weeks. Emily is still asleep when Corvo looks in on her, and Callista is sitting at the table, writing.

"She was tossing and turning earlier," Callista says when Corvo asks how Emily's been. "She dreamt about her mother, I think. She's sleeping easier now."

Corvo gently brushes Emily's hair away from her face and kisses her forehead. "I'll be back," he whispers to her.

"When she wakes, tell her I've gone to... speak with Burrows and that I'll be back later tonight," Corvo says to Callista.

"I will."

The Outsider is waiting for Corvo tonight, perfectly parallel-parked on the other side of the street between two cars. It looks like he's been waiting for a while: the engine is off, the driver's side window is rolled down, and the Outsider is staring off into the distance, an elbow propped on the open window. He doesn't miss the chance to make his customary greeting, though.

"Hello, Corvo."

"I didn't see you around yesterday," Corvo says casually. He's not sure exactly _what_ the Outsider is, but if Emily has been seeing him in her dreams too, then it can't all be coincidence.

"I wasn't needed," the Outsider says, starting up the car. "Where to, tonight?"

"What, you don't know already?" Corvo asks.

He really doesn't expect the Outsider to smoothly turn them in the direction of Kaldwin Manor, but at this point Corvo's starting to think he should know better.

By Corvo's estimation, the Hound Pits is about half an hour's drive away from Kaldwin Manor, and even shorter with the speed they're driving at, but Corvo still spends the journey tense with nervous anticipation. The last time he was here, Corvo thinks, Jessamine had been packing for their trip and couldn't wait to get away from the manor. How things had changed these past few weeks.

Before he goes, Corvo turns to the Outsider. "Be honest with me, why are you even here? There's no need to pretend you actually want to help."

"You fascinate me," the Outsider says with the same inflection he always uses.

Corvo sighs. That's all he's going to get, apparently. "So you've said. What happened to all the other people who've fascinated you?"

The Outsider tilts his head thoughtfully. "Inside you may come across a man named Daud. Ask him about me if you wish."

* * *

Corvo meets Daud almost instantly. Apparently, Burrows employs Daud and his men as security at his slaughterhouses, disguised as whalers. They're all at the Kaldwin manor tonight though, and Daud comes out to meet Corvo personally, his whalers forming a circle around them on the rooftops. Corvo doesn't doubt they've all got him in the sights of their weapons.

"I had a feeling you'd come tonight," Daud says, stopping halfway across the courtyard and crossing his arms. Corvo can see several weapons about his person but Daud makes no move to draw any of them.

"Did he tell you?" Corvo asks. He has his crossbow out and there's no way he's going to put it away, but for now it remains pointed at the ground.

"He's here, isn't he?" Daud's gaze flicks to over Corvo's shoulder. "I'd stay away from him if I were you."

"He told me to ask you about him."

Daud barks out a harsh laugh. "Did he? Conceited bastard. Well then, let me tell you this: he's bad news. Stay. Away. From him."

The ferocity with which Daud delivers his warning makes Corvo curious. "What did he do to you?"

"That's all you're getting, Attano. Go. Give Burrows his due." Daud does a quarter turn to his right and signals his whalers with a wave. They all retreat, and soon Corvo is alone in the courtyard.

With the best of Burrows' security gone, Corvo feels bold enough to walk right up to the front door and knock. He hears a faint scrabbling on the other side before the door suddenly swings inwards and he comes face to face with a guard.

"I'm here to see Lord Burrows," Corvo says.

The guard pauses, takes in the mask and the concealed weapons, the crossbow that Corvo is still holding. He shouts for backup and draws his sword, but the few footsteps Corvo can hear coming down the hall and the look on the guard's face tells Corvo he has a lot less backup than expected.

"I'm here to see Lord Burrows," Corvo repeats. "Not you."

The guard looks down the hall then back at Corvo. "Yeah, whatever," he says. "Bastard hasn't paid us anyway," he mutters under his breath as he leaves the door unattended.

Well that was easy. Corvo’s about to enter the manor when a truck comes to a screeching halt in the driveway behind him. He spins around, switching the crossbow to his left hand so the right is free to draw his sword – had he tripped a silent alarm? Had Daud changed his mind? – when Curnow jumps out of the passenger seat and guards wearing the Kaldwin crest on their uniform stream out of the truck.

“Burrows has been in a mood all day about losing Emily,” Curnow says in reply to Corvo’s unasked question. “He locked himself in his safe room earlier today and sent away everyone except his hired thugs. I figured he knew he was next, and I thought I’d come give you a hand.”

Corvo grins broadly behind his mask. Was there ever a man as dependable as Geoff Curnow?

“If you and your men can take care of Burrows’ guards, I’ll make sure he gets what’s coming to him.”

“Can do, Corvo.”

* * *

Curnow and his men have been training, Corvo thinks with pride as he watches them quietly and methodically clear the floors of the manor. He’ll be sure to put in a commendation for Curnow when things are more settled.

The room Burrows has chosen for his safe room is Lord Kaldwin’s old bedroom, and with the security measures he’s installed, it means the room is soundproof and he can’t hear what’s happening in the rest of the manor. Corvo surprises him by jumping from the roof onto the balcony and smashing in the glass door.

It's almost funny the way Burrows begs for his life now that he doesn't have his guards or his lies to hide behind. Corvo takes off the mask so Burrows can see his face, and gets some satisfaction from seeing Burrows shrink back even further.

"Relax," Corvo says as coldly as he can. "I'm not going to kill you." He gently sets the mask down on top of a dresser. "I just want to talk."

"You really expect me to believe that you're just going to let me go?" Burrows manages to sneer even while cowering.

"If it's really what you’d prefer, I can kill you.” Corvo takes his sword from its holster and extends the blade with a flip. "You've got no money, your co-conspirators have been arrested, your employees are deserting you... maybe it's better this way."

"No! I'll give you anything, just let me go! I'll leave the city – the country! You'll never see me again."

Corvo makes what he hopes comes across as a thoughtful expression, and stays silent for a few moments while Burrows stews in anxiety. Then, Corvo picks up a blank audiograph card from the table and inserts it into the player.

"I want a confession, Burrows. Nothing less than the whole truth, for your life."

Burrows can't agree fast enough.

What he doesn't know is that Curnow is waiting patiently outside the doors of the room to arrest him the moment he steps outside.

"His confession." Corvo gives Curnow the audiograph.

Burrows sputters and curses and tries to take back the confession, but Curnow just shakes his head with a smile as his men drag Burrows away.

"The courts are going to have a field day with this," Curnow says. "I'll make sure this gets into the right hands."

"I'm going to get Emily and bring her home," Corvo says. With Burrows finally out of the picture, he's starting to feel like things could be alright again. **  
**

* * *

The Outsider's car is idling outside the front door, Curnow's men giving it a wide berth. The Outsider watches them go by with an amused expression.

"Burrows lives," he says when Corvo gets in, "despite everything he's done. "

"He'll pay for it another way," Corvo says. It's much more satisfying to think about how Burrows will live out the rest of his days disgraced and imprisoned rather than dead.

"How was your meeting with Daud?" the Outsider asks.

Corvo had nearly forgotten about that. "You could have warned me Daud would try to kill me," he says, trying to remember how the meeting had gone. "Also, he didn't have any flattering things to say about you."

"Hm, I thought not." The Outsider looked unperturbed.

"Then why did you ask me to find him?"

"I didn't. I merely suggested it might ease your mind to speak with him."

"Well it didn't."

"Then this won't make things any better." The Outsider turns to Corvo, looking at him with those black eyes. "Daud was the one who killed Lady Kaldwin."

Corvo goes cold, the elation he'd previously been feeling draining in an instant.

"Burrows orchestrated everything, of course, but it was Daud who planned the attack, got his men into position, and drove the car that hit you that day. He didn't tell you that, did he?"

Corvo grabs the Outsider by the front of his shirt. "You knew!" Corvo shouts. "You knew all along and you never told me!"

"It wouldn't have helped," says the Outsider infuriatingly calmly. "If you'd attacked him in the courtyard earlier you wouldn't be here now. His men are very good."

"I... could've–" He could've what? Daud would never have let him pass so easily if he thought Corvo was going to attack him. And Corvo’s not going to delude himself into thinking he could have fought off all the whalers himself. Curnow would have arrived just in time to pick bits of him off the courtyard pavers.

"Could you?"

Corvo releases the Outsider. "Just drive."

Corvo barely remembers the journey back to the pub, too preoccupied with playing the meeting with Daud over and over again in his mind. Some versions have Daud impaled on Corvo's sword, or multiple bullet holes in his chest before Corvo finally puts one in his head. Others don't have Daud in the courtyard at all, or have Corvo breaking in through the back door while Daud fruitlessly waits out front. Corvo's not entirely sure what kind of catharsis he's trying to achieve.

* * *

He's still feeling hollow inside when Havelock claps him on the back in congratulations and offers him a drink. Everyone's gathered around the bar, and they're all holding glasses. Some distant part of Corvo hopes what Emily’s drinking is not alcoholic. He forces out a smile and accepts a glass.

"You've done it, Corvo," Pendleton says. "This time tomorrow we'll have Emily back in Kaldwin Manor and all charges against you dropped. Then we'll put everything we've got into rebuilding the whale oil industry."

"It won't be easy, but your part in this is over," Havelock says. "Tomorrow, you take Emily home and we start our work."

They make toasts to Corvo and Emily, Corvo downing his drink as quickly as he can, then he pleads exhaustion and heads for his room, ignoring the people who are calling his name. He can’t bear to look Emily in the eyes right now.

His limbs feel exceedingly heavy as he climbs the stairs, but Corvo's been feeling like he's moving in slow motion ever since he left the manor, so it's not particularly alarming to him. Then waves of dizziness and nausea hit him together just as he crosses the threshold into his room and Corvo is suddenly very aware that something is wrong. He tries to sit down – on the bed, the floor, anything – but the room is spinning and his vision is blurring, then his head hits the floor with a heavy thump.

Corvo doesn't lose consciousness right away, just lies there alternately becoming aware of things. First his head is throbbing where he'd landed on it, then his entire being is consumed by the urge to throw up all of his internal organs, then he's starting to panic a little as he realises he can't move anything. There might be someone else in the room but he's not sure until someone picks him up and he thankfully blacks out.

* * *

As Corvo approaches wakefulness, he becomes aware of voices talking over him. He's still feeling a little nauseous, but at least this time he's lying down properly and he can move.

"He's awake," someone says when Corvo shifts his leg into a more comfortable position.

"Leave him," a vaguely familiar voice answers. "We're almost there."

Corvo cracks open an eyelid. Standing by his feet is someone in a blue whaler's uniform, but rolling over slightly, Corvo can see a pair of boots and red trousers next to his head.

"It was you," Corvo grits out from behind clenched teeth. If he opens his mouth too much he's going to throw up.

Daud glances down at Corvo for the barest of seconds. "He told you."

"Why?" Corvo's aware that he's starting to sound a little pathetic, but he has to know.

"It was just a job." Daud adjusts the cuff of his glove. "Needless to say, a job I shouldn't have taken, but it's too late for that." The boat gently shudders and the rocking eases off. "Get up."

Corvo laboriously pushes himself upright and sees that they've stopped at a derelict pier in the Flooded District. There are holes in the wooden walkway and it looks like it wouldn't support anyone's weight, yet Daud's whalers confidently disembark and deftly step over the gaps even as the supports creak and groan.

"This is your stop," Daud says, arms crossed as he looks down at Corvo.

"What are you going to do with me?" Corvo doesn't stand a chance if Daud just orders his men to pick Corvo up and drag him along, but he'll be damned if he willingly walks into another trap.

"I'm going to help you."

* * *

Daud takes Corvo to his office, which is really just a desk and some shelves in a corner of the old Chamber of Commerce building. On the walls behind the desk are portraits and wanted posters with large crosses over the faces; the most prominent one is Jessamine. Corvo stares at her portrait for a moment, feels the now-familiar clench in his chest when he thinks of her. Then he looks over at Daud, Jessamine's killer, for whom killing comes as easily as getting behind the wheel of a car and stepping on the accelerator, and he does nothing. Jessamine would want him to save their daughter, not go on a revenge-fuelled rampage.

"Sir." A whaler suddenly appears, causing Corvo to jump. He doesn't understand how they move so quietly with all that gear on.

"The Loyalists have retreated to Kingsparrow Lighthouse. All defensive measures have been activated."

"Is Emily there?" Corvo asks.

The whaler moves his head ever so slightly to glance at Corvo. "We haven't been able to see her, but we are fairly certain she is in one of the rooms at the top of the lighthouse," the whaler tells Daud.

"What about a way in?" Daud asks.

"The island is locked down tight. There'll be no getting in by land."

"And by boat?"

"There are spotlights on the water and the guards do regular patrols along the shore."

"Is that a problem?"

"No sir."

"I want a way in by tomorrow afternoon."

"Yes sir." The whaler turns sharply on his heel and strides out of the office.

Corvo is grudgingly impressed and it must show on his face because Daud snorts and says, "I only wish the rest of them were as competent. There's a reason Thomas is second in command."

"You're really going to help me get in," Corvo says.

"I said I would."

"People have said a lot of things to me lately."

"I don't fail, and I don't go back on my word. You of all people should know that."

So they're not going to try to kill each other, but they're not going to try to be friends either. Corvo can work with that.

Whalers come and go all day to deliver reports to Daud, some related to Kingsparrow, but most of them about mundane things like a change in overseer patrols near the Flooded District, or a leaky roof over the training area. At some point a group of whalers drag in an old couch for Corvo to sleep on – it smells like stagnant water and Corvo hopes a little water damage is the worst thing that's happened to it – and he's out before he can swear to himself that he'll only rest his eyes for a moment.

* * *

When Corvo wakes up, the room is considerably darker and there's no one there but him. If he listens closely, he can hear the floorboards creak as whalers patrol elsewhere in the building, but there's no one in the office. Corvo's eyes dart up the stairs to what he's deduced is Daud's bedroom. There's no way he's going to be able to resist snooping around if no one's around to see him.

On a shelf next to the bed Corvo finds Daud's journal. He hesitates for a moment before opening it from the back; Corvo doesn't care for Daud's life story, he just wants to know if Daud is as remorseful about Jessamine's death as he says he is. Surprisingly, Daud's latest entry is about a different woman, Delilah. Corvo quickly scans the page and learns that the Outsider had told Daud about her and that Delilah is somehow related to Jessamine's death, but that's all he learns before he hears footsteps approaching the office.

Corvo quickly puts the journal back on the shelf and heads down the stairs, where a whaler is already waiting for him. There's an awkward, extended silence between the two of them.

"Lord Protector," the whaler eventually says, sounding a little unsure. He must have been searching for the right honorific to use.

"Corvo is fine," Corvo says. Lord Protector is a title he hasn't heard in a long time, if ever. It's an old Gristol name for the bodyguard of the head of a household and probably his official title in writing somewhere, but no one has ever used it to address him.

"Dinner's just finished, but Daud told me to bring you something to eat. If you want it." The whaler tilts his head towards the couch where there is a plate of food resting on the arm.

"Tell Daud I said thanks," Corvo says. "Where is he, by the way?"

"He's… planning. Do you want me to tell him you asked for him?"

"No, there's no need. Thank you anyway."

The whaler half nods and shrugs and quickly exits the room, probably before Corvo can make more conversation with him.

Daud returns soon after with a roll of papers that he sets down on his desk.

"Any news?" Corvo asks.

"On the lighthouse?" Daud says distractedly. "My men will have it sorted out. But I can only spare one of them to take you there tomorrow. The moment you set foot off the boat, you'll be on your own."

"Does this have something to do with Delilah?" Corvo ventures.

Daud looks up at him sharply. "Where did you hear that name?"

"I read your journal," Corvo admits. "But I only saw the name."

"Our mutual friend gave me the name just after—" Daud half turns his head towards Jessamine's portrait. "I've been chasing down leads and loose ends since then. I'm headed to Brigmore Manor tomorrow to put an end to it."

"What does Delilah have to do with Jessamine's death?"

"Nothing, really. Let me handle this, Attano. If anything goes wrong I'll make sure word gets back to you, but even you can't be in two places at once, and Kingsparrow is where you need to be tomorrow."

* * *

Most of the whalers go with Daud the next morning, with just a handful staying behind to guard the base. Corvo is left to occupy himself until the evening when a whaler comes into Daud's office to inform him that it’s time to leave. Corvo follows the whaler down to the water where a small motor boat is tethered to the same pier he'd arrived at.

"We've taken care of the spotlights on the water and the hatch on the drain next to the gatehouse is unlocked. It'll take you right up to the inside of the fort. I can create a distraction to draw the guards' attention for a short while, but once you're inside, you'll be alone," the whaler tells Corvo as they approach Kingsparrow Island.

"I'll manage," Corvo says. "Thank you."

"Here, we also swiped the key for the lighthouse elevator,” the whaler adds, passing it to Corvo. "Good luck, sir. I hope you find Lady Emily."

* * *

Corvo hides behind a stack of crates on the shore while the whaler steers the boat to the other side of the island. Corvo isn't sure what the distraction entails, but he hears several loud bangs that could have been grenades, then gunshots and heavy footsteps as the guards run to investigate the disturbance. Corvo does a quick scan for any remaining guards before making for the drain pipe he can see protruding from the wall.

It's a bit of a wet climb and Corvo has to nearly crawl through ankle-deep water before he makes it to drier land, but he makes it inside the walls of the fort without alerting any of the guards. On the walls are chalk markings from the whalers who had been there before him to scout the island; they've left him messages like '↑ this way out!' and 'throw rocks to distract guard'. There's a small pile of pebbles under the second message.

Corvo pockets the pebbles and climbs over the railing of the metal walkway above him. In front, there's a doorway mostly in shadow that Corvo crouches in to watch the guard patrolling the corridor. Just as the guard passes by, Corvo throws a pebble behind him. It bounces once then skitters away somewhere into the darkness.

"Damned rat!" the guard curses vehemently, turning around and stomping down the corridor. "You're not going to get away this time!"

The whalers must have been messing with the guard yesterday, Corvo muses as he slips out of the doorway.

There are a few more guards along the stairwell leading to the upper floors of the gatehouse, but they're all facing towards the outside, some of them not even looking down at the island they're supposed to be guarding.

"Think you'll get your own squad after what happened last night?" one guard asks as he leans on the railing, smoking a cigar.

"The chances are good," his friend replies.

Unlikely, Corvo thinks as he easily slips past them.

* * *

The bridge to the lighthouse is all clear save for one guard and an arc pylon. It's another Sokolov invention, a scaled-down version of a watchtower, but no less deadly. Luckily, Corvo knows that they operate via line of sight, courtesy of Sokolov's tendency to complain loudly about his problems, so it's just a matter of putting something between him and the pylon.

There's a bit of a roof over the middle section of the bridge but it's not enough to get him all the way to the other side unscathed, so Corvo takes his chances running along the huge steel cables that hold up the bridge. It's not so different from crossing rope bridges in training, Corvo thinks, except then they'd been attached to safety lines and there had been mats on the floor in case one of them managed to fall that far. Corvo had fallen, and he’d had rope burns in unmentionable places for days from where the safety harness had caught him. Perhaps it was best not to think about that.

Corvo uses the key the whaler had given him to unlock the door to the elevator, then pushes the lever to take it to the top floor. On the way up, he puts one hand on the hilt of his sword, changes his mind and goes to draw his pistol, then changes his mind again and clenches his hands into tight fists to prevent himself from doing anything rash. Emily's there, Corvo reminds himself, and she doesn't need to see him kill anyone, no matter how deserving of it they might be.

"Remember when this was just a dream shared by a few angry, desperate men in the back room of a bar?" Corvo hears Havelock say as he ascends the stairs of the atrium. "Lord Treavor Pendleton, the neglected youngest son, bullied by your brothers. Martin, such a clever man, talents wasted until he found his faith. Callista, the nursemaid. Bitter Piero, ejected from the Academy. Samuel, a useless old man, hungry for purpose. Couldn't be with us tonight."

Corvo quietly climbs the last few steps and emerges in a large, high-ceilinged room. Havelock is standing by the fireplace, glass in hand.

"My friends, the times we've had!" He raises his glass in a toast. "I'm almost sorry this moment has come."

Martin and Pendleton are slumped over in their seats at the table in the middle of the room.

Havelock turns and sees Corvo at the top of the stairs. He takes a drink.

"This is all Martin's fault, you know," Havelock says. "He insisted we pull you from the crash instead of letting you go to jail. He said you could be useful. And you were, but you know what, Corvo? You were just too damned good at your job, and your loyalty to the girl would have never let us achieve the vision we wanted for Dunwall's future."

"Come quietly, Havelock," Corvo says even while knowing it's futile. "It doesn't have to be this way."

"I'm sorry, Corvo." Havelock takes out his pistol. He's not sorry.

Havelock shoots first, blowing apart a few books on the shelf next to Corvo. Corvo plans on taking Havelock alive to have him stand trial for his crimes, but he's still feeling angry and betrayed, so he ducks behind the table and fires off a few shots with his pistol, close enough to give Havelock a scare. Inside a room nearby, Emily screams and pounds on the locked door. Corvo thinks he can hear her shouting his name, but that room is the safest place for Emily to be right now, so Corvo forces himself to put her cries out of his mind.

"We started with such noble goals in mind," Havelock says loudly over the shots he's taking at Corvo. "And we ended up like this: afraid, fighting in secrecy, fighting about who we could trust and who we had to kill. Arguing over who amongst us would act as Lord Regent."

Havelock finally runs out of bullets and crouches behind the table to reload his pistols. Corvo puts away his own pistol and instead readies a sleep dart in his crossbow. When Havelock looks up to track Corvo's position, Corvo fires.

The bolt hits Havelock in the side of the neck and for a moment he looks stunned, like he can't believe Corvo's hit him. Then Havelock pulls out the dart, stares at it for a moment, and collapses to the floor.

Corvo takes the key off Havelock's prone body and unlocks the door to Emily's room. Emily lunges at him, attempting to perform the Tyvian chokehold Corvo remembers practicing with her all those months ago.

"Emily, it's me!" he says, his arms going around her to support her weight.

"Corvo?" The chokehold turns into a desperate hug. "I thought–"

"I'm fine."

Corvo places gentle pressure on the back of Emily's head to keep her face buried in his shoulder as he steps over Havelock's body and out of the room.

They're met in the atrium by a startled Geoff Curnow who quickly regains his composure and smiles wryly at Corvo.

"We received an anonymous tip that Lady Emily was being held hostage on the island but it seems you've beaten me to the rescue," he says.

"You've arrived just on time to be the hero who caught and arrested the three kidnappers," Corvo says, tilting his head towards the stairs. Truth be told, he's not sure if Martin and Pendleton are still alive, but he doesn't want to say so in front of Emily.

Curnow motions for his men to head up the stairs without him.

"I hope you’ll be returning to the manor now,” he says.

"Yes, Corvo, let's go home," Emily mumbles into Corvo's shoulder. She turns around to look at Curnow.

"Lady Emily," Curnow says formally with a bow.

"Captain Curnow," Emily replies as imperiously as she can, cheered by the sight of a familiar face.

"We'll meet you back at the manor, Captain," Corvo says. "Nothing will keep me away this time." He's eager to be away from the island, especially now that Curnow has the situation under control.

Corvo puts Emily down once they exit the lighthouse elevator, and they cross the fort with Emily walking in front and Corvo one step behind and to the side of her. Everywhere, Curnow's men have got Havelock's hired thugs rounded up and facing the walls with their hands on their heads.

"Attano, there's a man in a car down there who says he's waiting for you," a woman with sergeant's stripes says to Corvo as he passes by.

"Is it him?" Emily whispers when they're out of earshot of everyone else. "The Outsider?"

"Where did you hear that name?" Corvo whispers back. He doesn't remember ever mentioning him to her.

"Martin says he's a heretic," Emily whispers, louder now. When Corvo looks down, her face is gleaming with excitement.

"Don't ask him that, alright?" Corvo says. The Outsider would probably be amused, and Corvo doesn't want to give him the satisfaction.

The Outsider's car is waiting for them at the bottom of the road. Corvo holds the back door open for Emily and she clambers into the middle seat.

"It's good to see you again, Lady Emily," the Outsider says, turning around.

Corvo can see Emily's jaw drop a little as she recognises the black-eyed man from her dream.

"Shall we leave?" the Outsider asks Corvo.

"Let's," Corvo says.

* * *

Later, when they've stopped in the courtyard of Kaldwin Manor and the servants are rushing out to greet them, the Outsider takes a card out of his inner jacket pocket.

"If you ever find yourself in need of me again," he says, passing the card to Corvo.

"I'm sure I won't," Corvo says flippantly. He takes the card anyway, and the back of his left hand burns in a familiar way.

"Just in case, then." The Outsider has an insufferably smug look on his face.

Corvo rolls his eyes in exasperation, but despite everything, the Outsider has always been there when Corvo has needed him, as promised.

"He was in my dream, Corvo." Emily says as the Outsider's car speeds away beyond the horizon.

"I know, mine too."

"Who is he?"

Corvo turns the card over between his fingers. It's blank, but as it catches the light of the setting sun, Corvo sees the Outsider's mark.

"I don't think we'll ever know."


End file.
